How to display bits of paper?

March 4, 2009 2:03 PM

Artfilter: I have a bunch of arty things printed out on 8.5 x 11 copy paper and other scraps of stuff I've saved from various places (old calendars, transparencies, catalogs) and I'd like to do something with all of it to make it presentable. But what?

I'm open to glueing the pieces on to something with wheatpaste or whatever but I don't really have anything that needs covering. A collage the doesn't look like I made it in middle school? What should I do with this stuff?

posted by mattbucher to grab bag (14 comments total)

Where do you plan to display it? Do you have wall space, or does it need to be done in such a way that it can be put away?
posted by ocherdraco at 2:19 PM on March 4

Under what circumstances do you want it presentable? To show other people, to put up on your walls, to present in a gallery?

I think that info could make answers easier.
posted by batmonkey at 2:19 PM on March 4

I just want to put it on my wall (or some other surface) at home.
posted by mattbucher at 2:21 PM on March 4

Ask Jess.
posted by bru at 2:29 PM on March 4

Ask Jess.

Sorry if I'm not being clear here but I've got a file folder full of cool looking stuff I've saved over the years and have no way to really display.
posted by mattbucher at 2:31 PM on March 4

I love this idea
posted by sisflit at 2:46 PM on March 4 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is what scrapbooking was originally all about, although yours might be more of a portfolio/scrapbook - find a big blank book with acid-free pages and put in things you think folks would like to flip through, making your own coffee table book.

You can also get modular frames which can fit danged near anything and use them to put up the pieces you'd most like to display on your walls, maybe even in triptychs or other sets which pull together varied pieces in a cohesive display.

If you've many small things, you might consider decoupaging them to a box or tray or something else you'd be interested in having out in your environment. Of course, this is permanent and you should be wary about using anything involving heat or liquid on anything irreplaceable.

Out of all those, I think I'm most in favour of making your own coffee table book(s). As a guest, I'd be delighted to flip through such a thing.
posted by batmonkey at 2:53 PM on March 4

The Ingo Maurer Zettel'z lamp was designed for such things. Here's a DIY version.
posted by judith at 4:12 PM on March 4

I have something similar with pictures, scraps & concert tickets. I display them by getting a nice frame or even a used one from a thrift store that looks cool. Then I attach the frame to a corkboard. That way you can pin any items to the corkboard and it looks like a frammed piece of art.
posted by sharkhunt at 5:34 PM on March 4

I have a lot of postcards, clippings, etc., and I find that the simplest way to display them is to find a wall that handles tacks (or maybe a large corkboard). I like rearranging them when I move into a new place, so this works for me. You can even get nice metal tacks instead of cheap plastic ones. A couple self-link examples of how I've set them up: across the middle of a wall and behind a desk. This is appropriate when you're in college (or in a cubicle) but maybe not so much when you're older, depending on your house. A classier option is to get a bunch of cheap glass borderless frames from IKEA and arrange the best pieces up on a wall.
posted by dreamyshade at 8:11 PM on March 4

How many is a bunch? Because I would buy a bunch of thrift-store frames, paint them all the same color (or not, see below), and make an arrangement on the wall. I probably saw something like this in ReadyMade or (gasp) Martha Stewart.

Now that I think of it, the ReadyMade version made frames into smallish corkboards.
posted by O9scar at 11:43 PM on March 4

Photojojo has lots of display ideas (magnetic photo rope, glass jar frames, etc.).
posted by ocherdraco at 5:34 AM on March 5

I'd invest in a system similar to the Deka wire from Ikea. You attach it to your wall or hang it in a doorway or wherever you want, and then clip your pictures/scraps/mementos to it. It's easy to change out when you get new things. Or go the DIY route and use binder clips or clothespins.
posted by kidsleepy at 6:43 AM on March 5

These are all great ideas. Thanks, everyone!
posted by mattbucher at 8:51 AM on March 5